Snapshots From An Unmade Bed

Random Cool

I wanted to mention a wonderful gift that I received for my birthday from Iliana - an old book that was given a new life as a journal. It is such a treasure. (I also love the polk-a-dot pen she included!)

I was catching up on a friend's blog and her most recent post is about the shop Neighborhoodies - specifically their shop in Brooklyn, NY. They will personalize a hoodie, t-shirt or bag however you would like. I think this is a great place to check out for holiday shopping!

With the holidays just around the corner I have been searching one of my favorite online places to shop - Etsy!

I decided to list some of my favorite shops:

Photo Glass Works
Annejulie's Garden
That Jewelry Girl
moontree letterpress
Realisation Creations
Deciduous Soul
Loobylou Crafts
Rachel Sudlow Jewelry
June Designs
Simone Walsh Jewelry
Photo Glass Works
Boring Sydney
Krista Faye Knows Love
Caught Red Handed
Arete Designs
Nea
Little Llama
Timothy Adams Designs
The Glass Chef
Jane Cathryn
Nicholas and Felice
Joieux
Fringe
Sushipot Art Object
Modern Art Everyday
CleverGirl
Shop Announcement
garnish(home)

I think I could spend a year on that site and still not discover all the talent. Really, you should go visit some of the shops I mentioned but be warned, the place is addictive!

Random Cool

Here are some random cool things to check out over the weekend.  Have a great one!

ArtKrush - check out this online magazine that magazine covers the key figures, exhibitions, and trends in international art and design.

Pink Ink Studios - a design resource for photographers by photographers. There are wonderful things to be found at Pink Ink Studios. I think it is a great resource for photographers but I think it will also appeal to scrapbookers and digital artists!

BlueEyes Magazine - I forgot to mention that issue 16 is now online. They always have such amazing documentary photographic work.

Random Cool

Last night we went to the new restaurant Fearing's at the Ritz Carlton.  Chef Fearing hails originally from the Mansion in Dallas and as you can imagine, the cuisine was excellent.  We chose to sit outside and it was a gorgeous night.  The ambience was very elegant - low lighting and water fountains.  The service was excellent as was every delicious bite!

Our first taste of the cuisine was a complimentary amuse bouche of hot and sour soup which had a wonderful kick. We decided to try a few things off the menu and share. We started off with recommendations of our waiter: Barbecued Shrimp Taco with Mango-Pickled Red Onion Salad and Smoky Citrus Vinaigrette. For our main course chose the Two Salads: Cider-raised Bacon with Leeks, Salsify and Golden Beets Maple-Smoked Salmon Tartare with Confit Fingerling Potatoes,Fennel and Tangerine-Mustard Vinaigrette as well as Pan-Roasted “Spiced” Filet and Chicken-Fried Maine Lobster on Queso Fresco Potatoes and Chico Spinach Enchilada. The filet was cooked to perfection!

Of course we saved room for dessert  and indulged in the Cantaloupe, Honeydew and Watermelon Sorbet with Midori Mint Sauce and Banana Cream Pie with Toasted Meringue and Coconut Ice Cream.  The Banana pie was my favorite of those dishes. I had coffee as well.

Overall it was a wonderful night, the food was excellent and even though this was five-star dining I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. Chef Fearing himself visited our table during the evening to askwith another couple.

If you are looking to treat yourself, I would highly recommend this new restaurant.

Random Cool

Green Living - there is a great little store I was reading about in Brooklyn, NY called 3R Living. They deal in future friendly products and you can shop at their store online.

Art + Escape - are you dreaming of white sand beaches and blue azure water but also want to indulge in creativity?  Michelle Torrez (renowned painter) is teaching a workshop in St. John's (U.S. Virgin Islands). Would be a great getaway for October....

Photography - so where does a shutterbug like me dream of studying photography? I recently came across The International Center for Photography located in New York. With over 400 courses - this school, museum and library has everything a photo junkie like me could need!  Did I mention they also have travel programs? Argentina anyone?

Of course I have not forgotten the Maine Workshops. I am definitely going to get myself to one of their summer workshops!

Random Cool

Raise your hand if you are glad it's Friday!!!!!  (ME!ME!ME!)

I have two things to share for Random Cool and they are very opposite ends of the spectrum!

William Kamkwamba's Malawi Windmill Blog - Looking for a bit of inspiration? Meet a bright and passionate 19-year old native of Mastala Village in Malawi, southern Africa. He has a love of wind and solar energy which led him to build his first windmill at age 15. This generated enough electricity to power a single light source in his home (and more than any building throughout his village) where there only source of light at night had been paraffin candles.

He continues his thirst for learning.  Read more about this wonderful and inspiring story!

Red Llama Studio - I love these quilts. How can you not? One of a kind modern style and all custom made for the client. Unfortunately, these beautiful pieces also come with a couture price tag. I will just have to admire them online until that big bankroll comes a rolling in....

And I am starting to dream of blue water and sandy beaches...our trip to Honduras is 5 weeks and counting!

Have a great weekend!

Random Cool

1st Thursday
Originally uploaded by SnapshotsUnmade.

We headed over to 1st Thursday in the Bishop Arts District. The restaurants have wine & food tastings and the shops stay open until 10pm. Had a lovely time drinking sangria and eating Spanish tapas. I brought along my new lens - the 50mm 1.8. I have had this on my wish list for ages and ages.  I love its crazy DoF and color  (no PS on above other than rounded corners and making diptych). This could get addicting!!

The blame goes out to flickr photogsWendine and JKonig and their damn good "fiddy" shots!!

We also went to our favorite gallery - Decorazon. We ended up buying two pieces by  Joel Quintans. The frames are being handmade in Mexico. The pieces will arrive in August.  Excited!

Random Cool

Well it's the weekend - thank goodness. The next two weeks at work are going to be a bit hellish with deadlines so I better enjoy downtime while I can.

Tonight we are meeting up with Iliana at Xocolatl in Uptown. Friday nights in June they are having tastings of their chocolate and wine delights as well as poetry starting at 10pm. It will be fun to catch up and check out a new spot.

Saturday & Sunday we are doing a bit of late Spring cleaning - time to go through some of the storage. Saturday evening we are heading over to Terry's for dinner.

Two random cool things I came across are:

Tootie Pie Company - Texas based pie company and they look good!!

John's Cafe - this little cafe was on Greenville for almost 33 years and then had to move.  They are back on Greenville and not too far from their original place on lower Greenville so I might just have to check them out!

That's it and that's all -- see you next week!

Random Cool

We are heading down to Austin over Memorial Day weekend. I am pretty excited about getting out of Dallas for a couple of days.

For the most part we will be visiting friends and catching up with our favorite Austin spots but we might also wander out to some surrounding areas.

Salado - I have never been to this little vintage Texas town just north of Austin, so we might just have to make a stop and see what this place has to offer.

Wimberley - this little town lies South of Austin not to far from San Marcos. Here you can visit Rough Creek Lavender fields and pick your own. There is also Bella Vista Ranch - a traditional Italian family farm with an olive orchard, winery, and vineyard. They also have Corral Theatre - an outdoor movie theatre. Movies under the stars.

We may not make it out of Austin because there is plenty of fun things to do there but at least there are options if we do.

------

If you are a toy camera photography fan you can see a preview of Light Leaks Magazine's Issue No. 6.

------

For all you insomniacs out there, a documentary just for you: Wide Awake. This is filmmaker Alan Berliner in his about his life-long struggle with insomnia. It will be airing on HBO May 23 at 8pm.

Random Cool

I must admit that I don't have too much to report on this week. Too much of that LIFE thing getting in the way.  But here are a few tidbits before I sign off for the weekend:

The Book of Liz - Bootstraps Comedy Theater is presenting Amy and David Sedaris’s odd play about cheese balls, a religious community, and recovering alcoholics at The Bath House Cultural center through May 26th.

Maine Photographic Workshops - I dream of taking a course here one day and have always wanted to do the 7-week work/study course in the summer.

Utopia, The Bay Islands Honduras - the trip is booked for September 8-15 and I can hardly wait! I am looking forward to a week of relaxation and fun (and even some spa pampering!). It will be almost a year since we have had a full on week's holiday!  We are waiting for our book so we can decide what we might want to do on our trip.

Random Cool

Hurray for Friday and the coming weekend!

Tonight I am meeting up with a new photographer friend "T" to talk post processing. The idea - share tips on how to help our photographs make that more of an impact. I am realizing as I take more digital photographs in RAW that it is necessary to spend some time with them in the digital darkroom so they don't look as flat. "T" is a talent, so I will be paying a lot of attention.

The rest of the weekend will be running errands, cleaning house, reading (hopefully) and we are having Michael's soccer team over for a BBQ Sunday which should be fun (let's hope the weather cooperates!)....

So, Random Cool things:

Urban Street Bazaar is having another event this weekend at the Farmers Market in Dallas, which is a hop-skip-jump from our place so we plan to stop by on Saturday.

Mintd - if you are a fan of Etsy than this online store will appeal as well.

Cocoa Bar NYC - This has been added to my list of places to visit next time I am in New York. A chocolate and wine bar - can you see the smile already forming on my lips?

All Things Girl - I adore this online magazine for women. I was very excited that a photograph I submitted for their May/June issue was accepted and will be published online. I checked and the new issue should be online next week. If you have the chance - stop by next week and let me know what you think. The theme "Fork in the Road."

Have a great weekend!